Consultant in Education

Parent Sector : Education Sector (ED)

Duty Station: Beirut

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : Consultant

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 19-APR-2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The Education Sector in Lebanon has been facing multiple shocks over the past decade, with a significant acceleration since 2019, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Beirut Port explosion, and the severe socio-economic crisis which have caused a major learning disruption. It has revealed the urgent need to ally technologies and human resources to transform education and to build inclusive, open and resilient learning systems.

The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MEHE) in Lebanon launched the General Education 5 Year Plan (5YP) in 2021 as a contribution to realizing the humanitarian and development aims of the sector. The 5YP forms part of a government-wide effort to transform the education sector in Lebanon to support all children living in Lebanon to complete basic education. Improving physical and digital learning environment is one of the priority areas under the 5YP. It requires action to update the Lebanon National Action Plan for Remote Learning (NAPRL, 2021) to reflect most recent context and implemented. In 2022, the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) launched the New National Lebanese Curriculum Framework. The educational philosophy of the approach revolved around transversal competencies, one of which is digital competency. In the same year, the Transforming Education Summit (TES) was convened by UN Secretary-General in response to a global crisis in education – one of equity and inclusion, quality and relevance. The transformation of education relies importantly on the digital learning and transformation of education. 

The Education Cannot Wait (ECW) funded Multi-Year Resilience Programme (MYRP) in Lebanon focuses on tackling the impact of a range of vulnerabilities on access to and benefit from education. MYRP Lebanon has developed a blended learning programme, to increase resilience against any further requirement to close schools, to increase flexibility of access, and to ensure equal quality of services in formal and non-formal settings. A national digital learning strategy is planned to be developed to serve as the guide for Lebanon in achieving SDG 4 and transforming education through digital learning and transformation of education. It will build up the resilience of Lebanon education system and prepare the education sector to be responsive to the crisis.

Against this backdrop, UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in the Arab States (Beirut Office) is seeking for a consultant with significant expertise in educational analysis, planning and policies to develop the national digital learning strategy for Lebanon.

SCOPE OF WORK

SCOPE OF WORK

Under the overall guidance of Director of UNESCO Beirut Office and the direct supervision of the Education Programme Specialist, the consultant shall undertake the following tasks and responsibilities:

• Review the Report on the Review of Blended Learning provided by UNESCO and provide comments and insights for the finalization of the Report.
• Review relevant policy documents and information focusing on the parts related to digital and blended learning and AI in education, including but not limited to:
  • Lebanon Five-Year General Education Plan
  • Lebanon Education Reform Roadmap
  • Lebanon National Action Plan for Remote Learning
  • CERD Digital transformation’s Plan
  • MYRP project document 
  • CRDP-OER Policy
  • CERD Learning Content Management System
  • UNESCO Strategy on Technological Innovation in Education (2022–2025)
  • Guidance for generative AI in education and research
  • Guidelines for ICT in education policies and masterplans
  • AI and education: guidance for policy-makers 
  • Beijing Consensus on Artificial Intelligence and Education
  • Draft AI competency frameworks for teachers and for school students
  • UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers
  • K-12 AI curricula: a mapping of government-endorsed AI curricula
  • Global education monitoring report, 2023: technology in education: a tool on whose terms?

Long Description

• Review the worldwide good practices of digital learning, taking into consideration the limitations and crises imposed on the education system in Lebanon.
• Provide technical assistance, insights and advice in the development and production of 12 Blended Learning modules.
• Develop the national digital learning strategy with a special focus on ed-tech innovative solutions such as AI in education, covering the whole education system (formal and non-formal), from pre-primary education to secondary education, taking into consideration of relevant learning resources (production and use), learning strategies, assessment strategies, etc., in close coordination with MEHE and the Center for Educational Research and Development (CERD) using creative, innovative, and evidence-based approaches, including:
  • Identify the methodology and implementation plan of developing the strategy.
  • Identify the relevant stakeholders and set up the steering committee. 
  • Lead the consultations with relevant stakeholders in the education sector, conduct relevant interviews, focus group discussions.
  • Draft the national digital learning strategy (name to be discussed and agreed with UNESCO, MEHE and CERD), update and finalize the strategy as per the comments received from UNESCO, MEHE, CERD and other relevant stakeholders, and finalize the strategy in terms of formatting and editing. The strategy shall include a framework for Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) for the implementation of the strategy. This framework should outline specific indicators for success, data collection methods, and evaluation timeline to assess the impact of the digital learning strategy and make necessary adjustments.
  • Prepare a presentation (with PowerPoint slides and/or other documents) of the strategy to be presented to UNESCO, MEHE, CERD and relevant stakeholders.

Long Description

DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
 

The contract is expected to start from 1 May 2024 to 30 November 2024. Detailed deliverables with the submission deadlines and the payment schedule are as follows:

• 1st deliverable by 31 May 2024 – 20% of total amount: Submission of Inception report detailing the understanding of the tasks including the objectives and deliverables, methodologies to be used, implementation timeline and ways of engaging the Ministry, development partners and other stakeholders in the process.     
• 2nd deliverable by 31 July 2024 – 20% of total amount: Submission of Mid-term progress reports reflecting the work done, meetings and consultations conducted, interviews done, etc., listing the achievement, challenges faced and next steps.    
• 3rd deliverable by 30 September 2024 for the draft version and by 31 October 2024 for the updated version – 30% of total amount: Submission of Draft digital learning strategy and updated version of the strategy incorporating feedback from stakeholders (UNESCO, MEHE, CERD and relevant stakeholders). 
• 4th deliverable by 30 November 2024 – 30% of total amount: Submission of Final digital learning strategy formatted, and copy edited with PowerPoint presentation, integrating comments from stakeholders.    

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)
Accountability (C)
Communication (C)
Innovation (C)
Knowledge sharing and continuous improvement (C)
Planning and organizing (C)
Results focus (C)
Teamwork (C)
Professionalism (C)
–
For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Academic Qualifications

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in education, public policy, public administration, governance, international development or related fields. 

Professional Experience

• Minimum five years of experience in the field of education, educational technology, knowledge-policy nexus, evidence-based policy making, government innovation, public policy, or related areas.
• Experience in evidence-based educational research, policy reviews or data analysis. 
• Experience in sector analysis, sector planning and policy development in education, preferably in the Arab region.
• Experience in the design of education policies or education sector development plans, preferably in the Arab region. 
• Experience in areas related to digital learning, AI in education, or related fields.
• Experience in conducting stakeholder analysis and consultations.
• Experience mobilizing expert groups and advisory committees in the education sector.
• Experience in developing policy guidelines for digital learning or digital competency frameworks.

Skills and Competencies

• Excellent analytical skills and knowledge of trends related to digital learning, AI in education, ICT in education, education technology or similar fields.
• Excellent skills to draft high-quality, clear and concise policies, analyses, studies and reports.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to maintain effective working relations within a multicultural environment and team.
• Demonstrated capacity to work under tight deadlines.
• Skills in using statistical software and digital tools to support research and data analysis.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships with Ministries of Education and Higher Education, UN agencies, NGOs, and other relevant stakeholders.

Languages

• Excellent knowledge (written and spoken) of English. 

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Academic Qualifications

• PhD would be considered an asset.

Professional experience

• Experience working with ministries of education and development partners in the Arab region will be an asset.

Languages

• Knowledge of Arabic will be an asset. 

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

Interested candidates should click on “Apply Now” and download and complete the Employment History form (Word document) in “Employment History Form / My Documents”.

Before uploading the document, at the end of the Word document, please insert the extra pages with the following required information:

1.    Technical proposal: 
a.    Short Approach and Methodology to work (maximum 3 pages) identifying the specific components of these TORs and how the intended objectives and/or deliverables shall be addressed.
b.    A list of past similar examples of equivalent or comparable assignments drafted by the applicant (independently or as a team member) with hyperlinks to access such papers if they are available online, or samples of such papers if they are only available offline.
2.    Financial proposal that states the total compensation as a lump sum in US dollars. 
3.    An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV) stating details of educational qualifications, work experience including prior experience of similar work.    

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as a competency-based interview. 

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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